Body construction



1'9 Aug 27 J. H. BOURGON BODY CONSTRUCTION Filed June 21, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheot 1 'INVENTOR JOSE/ 77 hf BOUEGO/Y IATTORNES 1927' J. H. BOURGON BODY CONSTRUCTION Filed June 21, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 30," 1927. 1,640,64fl

UNITED. PATENT OFFICE JOSEPH H. BOURGON, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOB TO THE STUDEBAKER COR- PORATION, OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, A CORPOBA'IIO N OF NEW JERSEY.

. BODY CONSTRUCTION.

Application filed June21, 1926. Serial No. 117,413.

This invention relates to body construcswung, into operative position the plate 55 tions, and particularly to auxiliary seats closes the slot in said frame. therein adapted to be folded and swung to a The above being among the objects of the position adjacent the dash when not in use. present invention, the same consists of cer- 5 The principal object of the present intain features of construction and combinae vention is to provide an auxiliary seat which tions ,of parts to be hereinafter described 60 is supported by a single pivoted leg. with reference to the accompanying draw:

Another object is to provide an auxiliary lugs, and then'claimed, having the above and seat supported by a single leg positioned atother objects in view. I

one of the forward corners of the seat bot- In the accompanying drawings, in which tom, whereby there is a minimum of oblikenumerals refer to like parts through 5 structions below said'seat. I out the several different views:

Another object is to provide an auxiliary Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective seat for an automobile, said seat being proview of the front compartment of an autovided with a single leg secured to the formobile body in which a seat incorporating ward edge of the bottomv thereof and pivotthe present invention is shown in folded 7 ally supported at "ts lower end on one of position beneath the instrument board the sills of said body. thereof.

Another object is to provide an auxiliary Figure 2 is a perspective view of the seat Seat for an automobile body, said seat comillustrated in Figure 1, shown in unfolded prising a bottom having a back pivotally or operative position, and showing a par- 7 secured thereto, and a single supporting tially broken view of' the means for supleg rigidly secured thereto and pivotally porting the lower end of. the seat leg. I supportedin the plane of the floor of said Figure 3 is aperspective view from-below body, whereby said back may be folded oVer and from the rear of theframe for the seat said bottom and said bottom and back may shown in the preceding views, showing the be swung as a unit to a position below and manner of securing the supporting leg in the plane of the instrument board of thereto.

said body, leaving the floor clear and unob- Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective structed thereby view of the bearing frame which pivotally Another object is to provide a new and supports the lower end of the seat leg, shown novel means for pivotally supporting a leg supported in the sill of the body, the near of an auxiliary seat in the plane of a floor, face of the frame being removed to more comprising a slot in the floor for receiving clearly show the construction of the same.

35 said leg when the seat. is infolded position, Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective bearings for pivotally receiving the. lower view similar to Figure 4, with the exception end of said leg below thesurface of the that a fragment of theseat leg and the slot floor, and an articulated plate pivotally conconcealing plate are shown in the positions nected to said leg whereby to closesaid slot which they assume when the seat is in open.

40 when said leg is in upright or operative or operative position;

position. I T Figure 6 is a fragmentary perspective A further object is to provide a slotted jviewfof the' parts shown in Figure 5, with frame the upper surface of which is posithe exception that more of the seat leg is tioned flush with the surface ofthe floor, of shown, the parts being in the position which 45 a vehicle, said frame being provided with they assume when the seat is in folded or bearings for pivotally supporting the lower inoperative position, corresponding to the end of a leg of a foldingseat, said leg being position of the seat as shown in Figure 1. positioned so that when the seat is in folded Figure Tie a perspective view of the leg posit-ion the leg is'received withinthe slot supporting frame.

- 50 and the upper surface of the leg is flush Auxiliary or foldin seats are commonly with the surface of the floor, and a plate used inautomobile bo ies of different types,

pivotally secured at one end'to the leg and but j eiha s the greatest number of them. are pivotally supported at its opposite end on a fin t e soy-called coach type of auto swinging link, whereby when said seat is mobile bodywhichis usually built to provide 4 seats for five passengers, three in the back-of the body and two in front, with buta -single door on each side of the body, in line with the front-seats, for-theingressand egress of the passengers. Inasm-uchas the front'seats normally block the path of the passengers to and from the back seats through the--do0r, it

1 allow them to enter the door, o'rthey may be left in such-folded position when notbeing occupied by a passenger; As far asIh ave been able to determ1nc,-all such seats have,

before the present invention, b'eenequipped with two legs at'thc forward edgeth'ereof, the lower en'dsof' suehlegsbcingpiyotally supported on bracketsextending. abovethe plane'ofth'e fl o'or. Somctypes of thcse'sr-ats have been equippcd with one ormore rear supporting legsin addition to the"forward' legs, but because of the close coupled construction of the coach type of body such rear legs are usually dispensed with in those types of bodies and the pivotal supports-for the front legs constructed-to hold the seat= in proper uprightiposition with-out addition al supports, thereby allowing the passengers in the backseats to put their feet under the front seats and eflecting'an increase-in-the leg room, Inasmuch as the pivot point of the seat legs is above the surface of the floor-,1 when the seats are folded up; the legs thereof form airobstruct-ion on thesurface of the same, and the'eli' min'ation-of such obstruction-is oneof the'objects of the-'present-inventlon, as well as el1m=inat1ngone of the two legs conventionally=used, therebyproviding amaximum of-unobstruote'd space beneath the seat when in operative-position,

In the present lIlVBIlilOIl a seat is employedcomprising a seat'bottoin 11-to which a seat I baclr'12 is pivotally secured. As shown in; Figure 3, the seat bottom'll is -b uilt up on a frame 13 whiclrisprovidedadjacent its rear edge with bracketsfle towhich-the frame- 15 for the-seatback 12 is pivoted at 16, the pive otal joint being such thatthe-back frame 15 1 cannot be moved furtherback in relation to the -seat bottom frame--13 than-is shown in- Figures 2 I and :3, although it-may be; folded forwardly into contacting relation therewith The single seatas indicated in Figured.- shown is -for the right'hand front seat-as indicated in- Figure '1, an'dlfor this particular seat its singleleg 17 is positionedatthe forward right hand COIl'lGI'a thereof; the leg 17 being secured to the seat frame 13 lay-means of the divergent flange arms 18'which extend across the bottom of the same,-as indicated in Figure3, and are secured thereto by screws, such as 19, or by other suitable means.

The lowenend of the leg 17 is supported swingable, Theleg 17 with-the pinis introduced into the bearing 23 byreinovingthe caps-24 and dropping the leg with the pin 25 into place, and thereafter replacing the caps 24t-and securing them in place byscrews such as 28 whichpass t-hercth'rough and into the frame 20.

The seat-when swung. into operative position, is held in thatposition by the leg 17 abutting against the adjacent end 'of the' slot 21, it being held from swinging into -inopera tive position by reason of the fact that sub- 2 stantially all of its weight overhangs rearwardly of the leg l7 and therefore tends to swingthe leg further against the end of the slot-21l When the seat is tipped forwardly a-bout'the pin 25, into inoperative position,--

the legal? drops down into the slot 21, the bearings for the pin 25 being so. positioned that the then upward face of the leg 17 lies flush with the surface of the top plate of the frame 20 and therefore flush with the floor of thebody, thereby eliminating any substantial projection or depression on the'fl'oor of the body. The leg 17 is held from dropping any further into the slot by the front edge of the seatbottom which rests on t-he'floor when the seat is invinoperative position. As illustrated in-Figure l, before the seat is swung into inoperative position, the back 12- is folded over on the bottom 11 and the seatas a whole i then tipped forward and'comes to rest below the instrument-board 27, th'ereby leaving the floor of the body substantially clear ofthesarne. I

In order to close the slot-21when'the seat is in 0 error 0 erative positionfa late 28 a P a of slightly'less width than the slot'21, is p vota-lly secured at 29'to the lower end of th ealeg .17 and extends forwardly therefrom to a point adjacent'th'eforward end of the ported in the boss 33 on the inner face of one of the sides of the frame 20. The plate 28 is, as shown, so positioned as to be flush with the upper face of the frame 20 when the seat is in operative position, and substantially closes the slot 21 which would otherwise be open. When the seat into closed or inoperative position, the plate QS and link 31 swing down to a position below the leg 17 as shown in Figure 6.

It will be noted that in the construction shown and described, the frame 20 .is supported by the body sill 22, which offers a very substantial seat supporting means and offers no interference to the removal of floor boards, carpets and the like.

Formal changes may be made in the specific embodiment of the invention described without departing from the spirit and substance of the broad invention,

appended claims.

That I claim is:

1. In combination with an automobile body, an auxiliary seat therefor. comprising a bottom said seat and pivotally supported in bearings below the surface of the floor, a slot in said floor for receiving said leg when said seat is in folded position, and an articulated plate pivotally connected to said leg and closing said slot when said seat is in opera tive position.

In combination with an automobile body provided with a folding seat having a singlev supporting leg, means for pivptally supporting the lower end of said leg. comprising a slotted frame supported in the plane of the floor of said body, said frame provided with bearings for receiving the lower end of said leg, and a plate pivotally is swung the scope of which is commensurate with the and a back pivotally secured there-' to, a single supporting leg rigidly secured to secured at one end to said leg and at the other end to a pivoted link supported by said frame whereby when said seat is swung into operative position said plate closes the slot in said frame. 7 8. Means for supporting a folding seat in an automobile body, comprising a single leg for said seat, a frame secured in the plane of the floor of said body, a slot in said frame through which said leg projects, bearings in said frame for pivotally supporting the lower end of said leg, and an articulated plate secured to and movable with said leg, said leg being received within said slot and closing the samewhen said seat is in folded position, and said plate closing said slot when said seat is in unfolded position.

4. In combination with an automobile body having a sill and floor boards, a folding seat for said body provided with a single leg, a frame carried by said sill independently of said floor boards, a slot in said frame in which said leg is received when said seat is infolded position, means for pivotally supporting one end of said leg in said frame, and a plate operated by movement of said leg closing said slot when said seat is in open position.

5. In combination with body provided with a floor, a folding seat for said body, a leg for said seat, means for pivotally supporting said leg below the surface of said floor, a slot'in said floor for receiving said leg when said leg is in folded position, and a plate movable by said leg closing said slot when said leg is in upright position.

Signed by me at Detroit. Michigan, U. S. A, this 14th day of June, 1926.

JOSEPH H. BOURGON.

an automobile 

